About 400 people from Samara and surrounding communities turned out for the first health fair sponsored by the Blue Zone Community Foundation (FCZA) on Saturday, December 10th in the Natural Center Gym & Spa in Samara, taking advantage of free health services and informational discussions.
 
The most popular services were free 10-minutes massages provided by the Samara Massage School and free dental services, including fillings, cleanings or extractions performed by professionals from the College of Dental Surgeons of Costa Rica and Veritas University’s Faculty of Orthodontic Sciences. By midday, the dental teams had to stop taking more appointments in order to attend to everyone who had signed up already by the end of the fair at 4 p.m.

In the morning, blood sugar and blood pressure tests were taken. Gynecology and Psychology consultations were also available, the gym was open to the public and classes were offered in Zumba, Yoga and Aerobics. Specialists lectured on subjects such as nutrition and the potential affects of climate changes on health, and a youth folkloric group performed typical dances at 2 p.m. for those who were still patiently waiting their turn. 

Eufemia Matarrita, who lives in the town of Panama, said she learned about the fair from a letter. As she is poor, she was grateful for the free health services. In the morning she had teeth filled and consulted the psychologist, receiving a referral for additional assistance. In addition, she was waiting for a gynecology consultation.

Patsy Scott, founder of FCZA, remarked that the effort to organize the fair was worth it if it helped just one person, and she highlighted that in the morning one young woman who came to give massages decided to get a blood sugar test and found that she had very high blood sugar, a problem she may not otherwise have become aware of until it got much worse. 

The FCZA is for the entire Nicoya peninsula, Scott explained, and they hope to organize other such events in the future in varying locations if they can obtain more community support.

Captions:
4608/4609—Nutritionist Dr. Melissa Vega Delgado leads a discussion, pointing out the limited amount of fat grasa that should be eaten daily: just a quarter of an avocado rather than the entire avocado. 
4614 to 4620—The free dental services were in high demand at the health fair.
4626/4635- Free massages provided stress relief and relaxation along with other health benefits.  
4651. 4669- A local folkloric dance group performed for those waiting for health services.